Practical Guidelines:
Making Personally and Socially Beneficial Decisions

based on work by Harry Emerson Fosdick, (1878-1969)

1. Does the course of action you plan to follow seem 1ogical and reasonable? Never mind what anyone else has to say. Does it make sense to you? If it does, it is probably right.

2. Does it pass the test of sportsmanship? In other words, if everyone followed this same course of action, would the results be beneficial for all?

3. Where will your plan of action lead? How will it affect others? What will it do to you?

4. Will you think well of yourself when you look back at what you have done?

5. Try to separate yourself from the problem. Pretend for one moment it is the problem of the person you most admire. Ask yourself how that person would handle it.

6. Hold up the final decision to the glaring light of publicity. Would you want your family and friends to know what you have done? The decisions we make in the hope that no one will find out usually hurt everyone concerned.

To see how these principles apply to writing, see the file here.